When we met
by sasou
Summary: When Yoh meets Anna in Europe, it isn't love at first sight but when Anna moves to Japan for an arranged marriage, love makes its presence felt. YohxAnna (R&R please!)


_When we met_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King._

 _Chapter 1_

 _London,_ _one of the largest metropolises of the earth_ _and the city I have lived in for twenty-two years now. Every day I pass the marketplace and every day this place asks for my name. He asked "Who is Makoto Kyoyama? Where is he from? Why is he here?"_ _How should I answer to that? I spent half my life here. But this patch of earth has remained a stranger to me and I am a stranger here too. Nobody knows me here. Maybe these doves. Like me, they have no home town. They settle down where they find food and when the stomach is filled, they fly on. When can I finally go on the journey? I don´t know. The need to earn my daily bread is the chain on my feet. But eventually I will spread the wings and fly back, where my soul is at home. To my homeland, Japan._

xXx

"Yes Karenina, I arrived well.", Mr. Kyoyama answered the call of his wife.

Karenina Kyoyama smiled on the other side of the phone. "Alright, then I'll see you tonight.", she hung up with a wide smile and made her way to the kitchen, were she found her giggling daughter.

"What is there to laugh again, Seyram?", she asked gentle with a frown. "Tell me?"

"Mum.", the little girl started. "For over twenty years Dad goes to his shop and takes the same way and yet you call every morning and ask him...", she placed her hand at her ear like a telephone and spoke in a sweet voice. "Have you arrived yet, honey?"

"You do not understand that yet, this is a dear habit.", she snapped and smiled warm, while she packed the schoolbag of her daughter.

"Miss Lucy said that if you do not get rid of your habits, it will be an obsessional neurosis."

Miss Kyoyame glanced at her daughter in disbelieve. "Do not be so smart. You are just twelve years old, so please talk like twelve year old, like children normally do. Constantly these old-wise sayings of you."

Seyram snorted. "Oh mum, what does childhood and youth mean? These are just vague concepts. Basically we are as old as we feel, that's the real age.", she stated with a sweet smile.

Her mother just sighed. "Alright, my child, I'll give up.", she said and gave Sayram her schoolbag. "Just go to school and annoy your Miss Lucy with that."

Miss Kyoyama glanced over the kitchen table and sighed. "Seyram, you forgot to eat your almonds again."

Her daughter smirked and said in an innocent voice. "What can I do, Mom? It has become a _dear habit_."

"Go already!"

"Bye, Mom!", she waved and giggled, while she made her way out the door.

Miss Kyoyama laughed at the quick-wittedness of her younger daughter. Then she realized that her eldest daughter was still in her room.

"Anna!"

xXx

Still dressed in her dressing gown, she stood at the open window and enjoyed the fresh air of the morning. She closed her eyes as a fresh wind blew her hair. She raised her hand to put back a few strands of her blond hair behind her ear and glanced into the blue sky with dreamy eyes. She was so deep in thought that she did not hear the footsteps behind her. The blond girl only snapped back to reality when she heard her mother's lovely voice.

"Never before has something like this happened in my life. An unknown, a stranger appeared in my dreams..."

The girl near the window hastily turned and took the book from her mother's hands.

"I told you, you should not read my diary!", the daughter snapped.

"What is bad about it?", her mother asked her a puzzled.

"No Mom! No one is allowed to read that.", she stated firm.

"But you are write so beautiful!", her mother pleaded. "I was also allowed to read your poems that you wrote for school."

"It's out of the question! I do not allow it.", the blond girl said and hide the book behind her back.

"Why are you so embarrassed? Look, when a daughter grows up, her mother becomes her best friend. Don´t you trust me? Am I not trustworthy?", she pouted. "Please, Anna!"

Anna raised an eyebrow and sighed. She cannot say no to her mother, especially if she pouts. "All right! But that it´s clear, I just wrote this for my literature class! And not voluntarily!", she claimed while she blushed lightly in embarrassment.

Of course, her mother knew better that it was just an excuse. Anna would never admit that she enjoys writing poetry. Karenina smiled knowingly at her daughter, which caused her to blush even more.

"I will read it out loud, just stop staring at me like this!", with that the young girl turned around and opened the book. Her mother sat down on the bed, smiling in excitement.

"Never before has something like this happened in my life.", Anna spoke softly. "An unknown, a stranger appeared in my dreams... and in front of my astonished eyes, a veil slowly sinks.", she glanced back at her mother. "At the door of my heart I feel a very soft beat. And he looks questioningly at me with his deep brown eyes.", she walked to the window, with a dreamy facial expression. "And when I look into my hands, I see his face. His breath brushing my cheek, like delicate silk. The fragrance of his strong hands, still lingered in my hair. Yes... something like this has never happened in my life. An unknown, a stranger appeared in my dreams...", she spoke and stared into nothingness.

Slowly, her mother approached her with a huge smile on her lips and flicked her fingers in front of Anna´s face to get her back from her thoughts. Anna flinched before she glanced at her mother. "Really Anna, that was a beautiful love poem.", Karenina smiled. "Must be an attractive young man", she said thoughtfully. "Who is it? Tell me!"

Anna raised her eyebrows in disbelieve. "Mom.", she started stern. "This is fantasy, _an unknown_."

"Then he does not exist?", her Mother said disappointed. "You're probably right, where can you find such a person these days?", Karenina smiled at her daughter "You are crazy, Anna-chan. Haven´t met him yet and you're already dreaming of him.", giggling, she left the room.

Anna stayed by the window while the wind played with her hair. "No, Mom.", she whispered. "This is not just a dream... I have not met him yet, but he is out there. Somewhere... sometime.

xXx

In another part of the city, a brown-haired boy laid on a air mattress and drifted on the water surface in the pool, eyes closed. He slept until he heard something beeping. With a groan, he tried to open his eyes to see what time his wristwatch was showing. When he finally realized what time his watch was showing, his breath caught and he opened his eyes wide. Startled, he sat up and fell straight into the water because of his sudden movements.

"Really Yoh! You cannot get out of bed in the morning and manage to oversleep your own college graduation.", the guy told himself, while he throws his bag into the car and sat behind the wheel and drove off.

Hunched, he walked across the hall and sat down between a boy, who was praying and a blue-haired boy.

"Yoh, are you crazy? Why are you so late?", the blue haired boy asked softly.

"Yesterday, I was..", Yoh wanted to explain, but was cut off by the praying boy, who held his hands in front of his face in a prayer pose. "Hush!"

Yoh glanced puzzled from the boy to his friend. "Say Horo, what's up with him? Did he drink too much?"

"As it is said, one has failed and they want to proclaim the name aloud.", Horo replied giggling.

"He?", Yoh snickered and pointed at the boy beside him. Then he leaned nearer to the boy and whispered. "Hey! Good luck.", and gave him a thumps up. "It will work out!"

The boy nodded and glanced back to the stage, while Yoh and Horo giggled.

" _We have to tell you that somebody failed for the first time in the history of our university. His name Asakura Yoh.",_ the director announced, causing the praying boy to glance at Yoh and said. "Yes!", and wanted to give Yoh a high five, but Yoh sank in his chair.

xXx

„Hahahah! I am so proud of you my son!", a man with long brown hair cherred, while he opened a champagne bottle. "I am very proud of you! You really honored the name of the Asakuras today!", he laughed and filled up two glasses.

The son frowned at his father's reaction. "But Dad... you probably did not listen carefully...", he tried to clarify the situation, but ended up accepting a glass from his dad.

„I knew it! I knew that someday you would make me proud!", he placed an arm around the shoulders of his son and lead him to the portraits of his family members. "From today on I am not only proud of you, but our whole family clan!", he called out excited, but the son looked ashamed to the ground. "Hm..."

"Look how they smile at you all!", he referred to the pictures at the wall. "Here your great-great-grandfather, he never went to school! And this is his son! My grandfather, gave it up after four years! And this is my father, your grandfather Yomei, left school after eight years. And it catched me not until the pre-diploma! Bad grades and repeating a year have in our family tradition! And I'm proud that you continue this tradition!", he exclaimed excited. "We have all failed in Japan and you have succeeded this artwork in London! Haha! Come here, Yoh!", he hugged his son.

"Are you really happy about it?", Yoh asked confussed.

"Happy? I cannot stop myself! All this learning brings nothing anyway! A stuffed head, but an empty purse!"

"Exactly!"

"Look at me! When I left Izumo I couldn´t read and write properly. Nevertheless, I've built something here in London!"

"You are the greatest!", cherred Yoh and pumped his fist in the air.

"Thanks! No matter what happens it all has a reason. And tomorrow you will come to my office."

"In your office, Dad? Already tomorrow?"

"You can start now!"

"I cannot go to the office tomorrow."

"Why?"

"But Dad...", Yoh grinned and placed an arm around the shoulders of his father. "You can certainly remember how it was. You have to work _really_ hard to fail. I'm completely exhausted from this hard work! The best would be a trip... how about a long vacation in europe?"

"A vacation in europe? Nice! And how long?"

"Four to six weeks."

"Four to six weeks...", he smiled at his son before he smacked him on the back of his head. "Did I raised you like that?", he called out and chased after Yoh. "You lazybones! You can experience something!"

Suddenly his father coughed heavily and seated himself on the couch. Yoh rushed to his side and comforted him. "Dad...? Dad? Everything OK, Dad?", he asked worried. "Dad, you're right, I should really get into the company. I think you are getting old.", he grinned.

"What are you saying?", he called out and tried to rose from the couch, but got a pain in his back.

"Do you see, what did I say?", Yoh smiled and massaged his father's shoulders. "I have decided. I will not travel through Europe. I will start tomorrow in your company."

"Listen. I still decide in this house and I decide that you will first travel trough Europe."

"No, Dad... I already had enough fun. I enjoyed my youth enough..."

"No.", Mikihisa cut him off. "You cannot enjoy your youth enough. I have always worked hard as long as I can remember. So, that you can do what I never could. I never really lived out my youth and suddenly it was over.", he glanced into Yoh´s eyes. "But I have never regretted it, because I knew that my son will live out this youth for me. So if you have the feeling that you have the best time of your life behind you and you have already enjoyed it then that does not matter. Go now and experience it for me."

Yoh smiled. "Dad... you are the best."

"You are also... decent.", he replied cheekily and smiled.

xXx

"Karenina!", her husband called out and approached her in the kitchen with a huge smile. "Look at that! A letter from my friend! Tamamura had sent me a letter! Finally!"

"My dear friend Makoto...", Anna started to read the letter for her father, since he misplaced his glasses. "...we are doing well here, and I hope your family too. I bet you are happy to hear that my son has completed his diploma and got into my business. Now it's finally time for our childhood friendship to turn into a family. The promise we have given ourselves 20 years ago should be redeemed. I hope you come here soon so that my son your daughter Anna...", she hesitated and glanced at her mother with a confused expression.

"Come on read.", her father pleaded, but Anna made her way upstairs immediately.

"Did you see she is embarrassed? Do you see Karenina? I bet she is happy!"

"Can I asked you something?", his wife asked. "Don´t you think you should have asked her first?"

"What makes you think that?", he asked frowning. "Since her childhood she knows that she is promised to him."

"Of couse she knows that, but that was 20 years ago..."

"Don´t worry! You will see, our Anna will be happy."

xXx

Karenina made her way to the room of her eldest daughter. There she saw how Anna pulled out the poems out of her diary. "Anna-chan, what are you doing?", she asked with a sad smile. Anna looked up to meet her mother's glance, before she looked back. "I had completely forgotten that, Mom... I do not even have the right to dream."

"That´s not true my child. You are allowed to dream a lot!", she sat next to Anna. "But do not expect them all to be fulfilled. But who knows, maybe he is the man of your dreams."

Anna looked out of the window. _"What if he is not? I cannot go on living like that...",_ she thought sadly.

-To be continued-

xxxHello dear Reader! I had this chapter for a Long time on my Computer and finally decided to upload it! I am sorry for any language mistakes! But english is not my first language :) So let me know what you think so far! :D xxx


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